Asylum Seekers

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 8 January (WA 7-8), whether they will ensure that (a) women caseholders and female interpreters are provided for women seeking asylum, and (b) country information on the treatment of women is accurate and regularly updated.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The UK Border Agency's policy provides that, if the applicant requests a gender specific interviewer and interpreter, this should as far as possible be accommodated, especially if this has been requested in advance of the interview. In practice the agency makes every effort to ensure that women can be interviewed by another woman if they wish to be.
	The Agency's Country of Origin Information Service (COIS) publishes country information reports on the 20 countries generating the most asylum claims in the United Kingdom. These reports contain information on a range of human rights issues, including the treatment of women, and are regularly updated with information provided from a wide range of recognised and respected sources. COIS also provides an information request service which produces responses to specific country-based enquiries, including women's rights. All decision-makers have access to this service and the up-to-date country reports, which focus on the main asylum and human rights issues of a particular country.

Badgers

Baroness Corston: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the comments by Lord De Mauley on 11 December (Official Report, col. 973), what are their "assumptions about the effectiveness, humaneness and safety of controlled shooting" of badgers.

Lord De Mauley: Our assumptions are that controlled shooting is an effective, humane and safe method of culling badgers. It is a method that is already widely used in other wildlife species. However, in response to concerns on lack of evidence of its use in culling badgers, we are taking a precautionary approach through a pilot of controlled shooting in two areas to test our assumptions about its safety, effectiveness and humaneness.

BBC Media Action

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Northover on 29 October 2012 (WA 85), why the report of the first annual review of the global grant of £90 million to BBC Media Action was not available on the Department for International Development's website from 30 November 2012; whether the review's evaluation suggests any of the project's impacts or outcomes were unlikely to be achieved; and what efficiency savings have been made to date.

Baroness Northover: The annual review of the Department for International Development's (DfID) global grant to BBC Media Action concluded that the project's performance moderately exceeded expectations during its first year of implementation and was rated A+. The review was focused primarily on assessing project outputs and did not identify any outcomes or impacts that were unlikely to be achieved. The cost-savings incurred by DfID of managing a single global grant rather than 13 individual grants were estimated to be £188,159 over the course of the first year.
	The review was concluded and authorised on 29 November 2012. However, due to an error, it was not uploaded onto the website. It is now available on the publications section of the DfID website.

Benefits

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to help the poorest households in Britain in the light of the Government's proposals to limit the increase in working-age benefits to 1%.

Lord Freud: The Government have protected pensioners who are on fixed incomes and the additional needs benefits of disabled people whose added costs are linked to price inflation-through the triple lock on the basic state pension, through an equivalent cash increase on the pension credit standard minimum guarantee, and through price up-rating of disability living allowance, personal independence payment, carer's allowance, attendance allowance, incapacity benefit and the support group element of employment and support allowance.
	For those in the labour market, work is the best route out of poverty. Universal credit will seek to ensure that any work pays, and in particular low-hours work. Reducing the complexity of the system, and removing the distinction between in-work and out-of-work support, makes clear the potential gains to work and reduces the risks associated with moves into employment.
	Nonetheless, the Government recognise the need to balance fairness to the taxpayer with the increased living costs of those in receipt of state support, and have decided to make cash increases to working-age benefits despite the tough economic conditions.

British Antarctic Territory

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the ownership of the British Antarctic Territory and the part of it recently renamed Queen Elizabeth Land is recognised internationally.

Baroness Warsi: The British Antarctic Territory is the oldest declaration of sovereignty in Antarctica, dating back to 1908. The Antarctic Treaty, 1959, puts all Antarctic sovereignty claims in abeyance and protects each party's position in respect of the recognition or non-recognition of such claims. Queen Elizabeth Land covers the previously unnamed part of the British Antarctic Territory. It will be for other Antarctic Treaty parties to determine whether they will use this name or not.

Civil Servants: Political Activity

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of civil servants employed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs engaged in political activity, for each month since May 2010.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of civil servants employed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who were prevented from taking part in political activity, for each month since May 2010.

Lord De Mauley: Since May 2010, one member of staff in core Defra has sought formal permission to participate in political activities and this was granted.
	No estimates are made of the number of staff engaged in political activity for which no permission is required.
	Since May 2010, no requests from staff wishing to participate in political activities have been prevented by core Defra.

Courts: Security

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase security in family division and district courts.

Lord McNally: My department takes the security and safety of all courts and court users extremely seriously. Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is responsible for the administration of courts and tribunals within England and Wales and tribunals of Scotland.
	HMCTS undertakes regular security assessments of all courts. This is to assess and to ensure that the all security arrangements are proportionate to the level of risk identified. Family and district courts are subject to the same process and, as such, are under continual review to ensure the security arrangements address the risks identified.
	Any significant risks must be mitigated against and, as a result, any increased levels of security required will be addressed as and when it is identified.

Debt

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of household debt is represented by mortgage debt in (1) South Basildon and East Thurrock parliamentary constituency, (2) Basildon, and (3) England.

Lord Deighton: The Bank of England produces monthly estimates1 of total lending to individuals (excluding student loans), including lending secured on dwellings, such as mortgages.
	Estimates are available only at a national level. The latest release for November 2012 indicated that 89% of household debt in the UK was secured on dwellings.
	1 http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/statistics/Pages/default.aspx

Democratic Republic of Congo

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the evidence given by Steve Hege, the former member of the United Nations Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the United States House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs on 11 December 2012 on the rebellion by the M23 group, and in particular of his suggestion that the motive for Rwanda's support for the rebellion is that it will lead to the establishment of an autonomous state which Rwanda would dominate in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Baroness Warsi: The evidence that Steve Hege gave to the United States House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs reflects much of the information contained in the 2012 interim and final Group of Experts' reports. The UK welcomed the reports and found the evidence of Rwandan support to be credible and compelling. The British Government have made it very clear to the Rwandan Government that they must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Economy

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of a potential loss of the United Kingdom's AAA credit rating on the United Kingdom economy.

Lord Deighton: The Government have taken action to reduce the deficit and rebuild the economy. The Government's overriding priority is to return the UK to sustainable, balanced economic growth. The Government's actions have secured stability and positioned the UK as a relative safe haven, with interest rates near historic lows, benefiting families, businesses and the tax payer.

Energy: Renewable Energy

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support renewable energy projects on areas of high quality agricultural land.

Baroness Verma: All renewable energy developments are considered within formal planning procedures. These assess all potential impacts of a project, including on the environment.

EU: Birth Rates

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had in the European Union about birth-rates in the European Union.

Baroness Warsi: During the Hungarian presidency of the EU in 2011, the Government participated in a discussion on family policy issues at a meeting of Ministers responsible for demography and family policy. The UK was represented by the deputy head of mission from our embassy in Budapest.
	The Government have participated in no further formal discussions of EU birth rates since May 2010.

EU: Membership

Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the event of Scotland voting in favour of independence, the United Kingdom, as reconstituted, would be required, in the light of current European Union membership rules, to make a fresh application to join the European Union.

Baroness Warsi: The overwhelming weight of international precedent suggests that, in the event of Scottish independence, the remainder of the UK would continue to exercise the existing UK's international rights and obligations, including its membership of the EU, and that an independent Scotland would be a new state. The British Government judge that this situation would be recognised by the wider international community. It follows that an independent Scotland would be likely to have to apply for membership of whichever international organisations it wished to join, and treaties to which it wished to accede. In the context of EU membership, this would involve detailed negotiation with the UK and other existing member states on the terms of Scotland's membership. Under the EU treaties, decisions about EU membership and the terms of membership have to be agreed by consensus.

Government: Correspondence

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Tankerness on 30 October 2012 (WA 118-19), to what extent their decision to prevent the publication of the correspondence between the Prince of Wales and Ministers, described by the Attorney-General as reflecting the Prince's "most deeply held personal views and beliefs" and being "in many cases particularly frank", on the basis that they are seen as "preparations for kingship", took account of the principle that the monarchy is politically neutral.

Lord Wallace of Tankerness: A detailed explanation of the basis on which the Attorney-General arrived at his decision is set out in his statement of reasons. The importance and relevance of political neutrality is specifically explained and relied on at paragraphs 6, 10, 12(3) and 21. As stated at paragraph 10:
	"The Prince of Wales is party-political neutral. Moreover, it is highly important that he is not considered by the public to favour one political party or another. This risk will arise if, through these letters, the Prince of Wales was viewed by others as disagreeing with government policy. Any such perception would be seriously damaging to his role as future Monarch, because if he forfeits his position of political neutrality as heir to the Throne, he cannot easily recover it when he is King".

Government: Official Visits

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government which Ministers have visited Mexico representing the United Kingdom since May 2010.

Baroness Warsi: The following Ministers have visited Mexico representing the UK since May 2010.
	Prime Minister, Right Honourable David Cameron MP-June 2012;Deputy Prime Minister, Right Honourable Nick Clegg MP-March 2011;Chancellor of the Exchequer, Right Honourable George Osborne MP-February 2012, June 2012, November 2012;Former Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Jeremy Browne MP-November 2010, March 2011, October 2011, February 2012;Minister for Trade and Investment, Right Honourable the Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint-June 2012;Minister of State for Universities and Science, Right Honourable David Willetts MP-March 2011;Former Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Right Honourable Chris Huhne MP-December 2010;Former Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change, Right Honourable Greg Barker MP- December 2010; andParliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs, Norman Lamb MP-April 2012;
	In addition, over the same period the following individuals, although not government Ministers, have visited Mexico representing the UK.
	the Right Honourable the Lord Lamont of Lerwick. To represent the Government at the inauguration of Mexican President Pena Nieto-December 2012;the Right Honourable the Lord Brittan of Spennithorne, former trade adviser to the Government. To promote bilateral trade and investment-February 2011; andthe Right Honourable Sir John Major. To represent the UK Government during Mexico's bicentenary celebrations-September 2010.
	Further visits to Mexico by UK Ministers and other representatives of the Government will take place during 2013 and subsequent years.

India

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Department for International Development has in its library a copy of the Report of the National Family Health Survey of India; if so, what assessment they have made of the reasons for its finding that there are up to 35% more male births in some provinces than there are female births; and whether they will raise such disparities with the Indian authorities in the context of discussions on future aid to, and co-operation with, that country.

Baroness Northover: The National Family Health Survey (2005-6) was partly funded by DfID. It found that 18 states of 29 in India had sex ratios at birth below normal. India has strong legislation prohibiting the misuse of pre-natal diagnostic techniques for sex-selective abortions. The UK has supported the implementation of the legislation, through India's reproductive and child health programme. We will continue to raise the issue with government counterparts at national and at state levels.

Legal Aid

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Runnymede Trust report Justice at Risk; what is their response to the recommendation that fixed payments per case for immigration work should be replaced by hourly rates for cases of specified kinds based on the Early Legal Advice Project evaluated by the Legal Services Commission and the UK Border Agency; and what estimate they have made of the reduction in appeals from initial decisions which could be achieved thereby.

Lord McNally: We are grateful to the Runnymede Trust for its report and will give it careful consideration alongside the final evaluation of the early legal advice project. We expect this early in the summer. At that point we will consider whether any changes should be made to how legal aid payments operate in asylum cases.

Migration

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they propose to disaggregate the totals for net migration to indicate the student element when the international standard is to include migrating students; whether they will distinguish between students at universities and those at private colleges; and how they intend to improve the quality of data on students leaving the country.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, Director General for ONS, to Lord Laird, dated January 2012.
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question To ask Her Majesty's Government why they propose to disaggregate the totals for net migration to indicate the student element when the international standard is to include migrating students; whether they will distinguish between students at universities and those at private colleges: and how they intend to improve the quality of data on students leaving the country [HL4423].
	ONS does not intend to remove students from official net migration estimates and will continue to use the UN definition of a long-term international migrant.
	ONS uses data from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) to estimate long-term international migration (LTIM) with adjustments made for asylum seekers, people whose intentions change with regards to their length of stay, and migration to and from Northern Ireland. Net LTIM estimates will continue to adhere to the UN definition of a long-term international migrant, which states that a long-term migrant is a person who changes his or her country of usual residence for a period of at least a year. This definition applies to all migrants, regardless of their reason for migration.
	Since 2009, student migration forms the largest single category of long-term migration to the UK. Until January 2012, the IPS only collected information on a person's main reason for migrating. This means that a person may have arrived to study, but left several years later for a different reason, such as work. Therefore it was not possible to identify how many migrants who originally arrived to study have since left the UK.
	In January 2012, new questions were added to the IPS to ask those leaving the UK what their main reason for migrating was when they originally arrived in the UK. A further new question asks all emigrants if they have studied while in the UK. These changes will provide better information on emigrants who originally arrived in the UK to study or who arrived for another reason but studied while they were in the UK. These new data, relating to the year ending December 2012, will be available in August 2013.
	ONS is unable to distinguish between students at universities and those at private colleges as that information is not collected on the IPS.

Religious Faith

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 8 November 2012 (WA 232), what guidance they give the Minister of Faith and Communities in applying faith considerations to the formulation and implementation of public policy in the light of (1) the 2011 Census finding that those declared as having "no religion" outnumbered those of a declared non-Christian faith by more than 2 to 1, and (2) the long-term trend in the number of citizens with no religious belief or identity.

Baroness Warsi: The Government believe that religious belief is an important motivation for service to community. However, it is obvious that the needs and perspectives of all interested groups, whether religious or non-religious, should be taken into consideration when policy is formulated and implemented.

Religious Faith

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 8 November 2012 (WA 232), what criteria are used by the Minister for Faith and Communities to balance the conflicting needs and perspectives of different religious and non-religious groups in the formulation and implementation of public policy.

Baroness Warsi: The Government recognise that both religious and non-religious groups have valid perspectives to contribute to the formulation and implementation of policy, and departments are committed to proper engagement processes. The specific role of the Minister for Faith and Communities is to ensure that the voice of people of faith is heard, which has not always been the case.

Trees

Lord Framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many organisations in the United Kingdom received public funds to fund tree planting in the past 10 years for which figures are available; which were those organisations; and how much they each received.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will answer question HL3840, tabled on 29 November and due for answer on 13 December, concerning the funding of tree planting organisations in the United Kingdom.

Lord De Mauley: The primary source of funding for tree planting over the past 10 years has been the English Woodland Grant Scheme and its predecessor, the Woodland Grant Scheme, both administered by the Forestry Commission. The payment records do not readily distinguish between individuals, organisations and managing agents so the separation of all payments to organisations could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Big Tree Plant is a Defra and Forestry Commission-led tree planting campaign that began in December 2010. Projects that have received funding from the £4 million Big Tree Plant Scheme for planting season 2011-12 (the first season of operation of the scheme) are listed below:
	
		
			 Name £ Grant 
			 Northfield Ecocentre 7,000.00 
			 Million Trees Derbyshire 7,161.00 
			 PITSTOP 2000 3,955.90 
			 Hereford Orchard Topic Project 3,178.60 
			 Plymouth Tree Partnership 12,563.09 
			 Woodsetton Charitable Trust 800.00 
			 Pepys Community Forum 1,791.89 
			 Sheffield Vulcan Rotary Club 745.00 
			 Boston Woods Trust 1,846.00 
			 Blisworth Canal Partnership 2,498.84 
			 Horndean Community Centre 512.00 
			 Cricklade Bloomers 3,418.78 
			 St Stephen's Bradford 439.20 
			 TCV Kent 5,000.00 
			 Aspire Housing 5,644.00 
			 Canterbury Society 536.40 
			 London Orchard Project 16,000.00 
			 Swanley Town Council 3,517.11 
			 Wellingore Parish Council 730.00 
			 Lancashire Wildlife Trust 8,999.55 
			 Trees for Cities- outside London 115,184.00 
			 Groundwork Luton and Beds 6,812.00 
			 Trees for Cities- pan London 75,000.00 
			 TCV Community Copse 1,732.68 
			 Gateshead Countryside Volunteer Rangers 1,187.15 
			 Street Trees Barnet 4,000.00 
			 Friends of Fallowfield Loop 658.84 
			 Tinsley Tree Project 14,831.41 
			 Skegby Neighbourhood Residents Group 2,596.00 
			 Treesponsibility: Transition Hebden Bridge 1,545.50 
			 Sussex Orchard for Communities and Schools 2,396.00 
			 Selby Community Trust 10,500.00 
			 Ryde South West Action Group 500.00 
			 Northbrook Park Community Group 5,290.00 
			 Heeley City Farm 1,678.70 
			 Groundwork NE Middlesbrough 4,813.47 
			 Garforth and District Lions Club 750.00 
			 TCV South East 3,296.16 
			 TCV Norfolk 3,033.66 
			 RSPB Rainham Marshes 1,570.00 
			 Community Forests North West RRF 134,551.00 
			 Stroud Valleys Project 10,977.00 
			 Groundwork Oldham and Rochdale 25,000.00 
			 Staffs Wildlife Trust 4,195.41 
			 Shrewsbury Town Council 5,560.00 
			 Witton Park Community Association 600.00 
			 Birmingham Trees for Life 24,842.00 
			 London Wildlife Trust 3,036.00 
			 Groundwork Thames Valley 7,500.00 
			 Creative Support 650.00 
			 Bee Guardian Foundation 2,964.70 
			 Alnwick Community Development Trust/Now Groundwork NE Northumbria 1,317.76 
			 Friends of Wallsend Parks 2,200.00 
			 Great Western Community Forest 18,019.00 
			 Groundwork Leicester and Leicestershire 9,948.22 
			 Leading Link 1,000.00 
			 Peterborough Environmental City Trust 21,923.00 
			 Warley Woods 950.00 
			 Ideal for All 2,258.18 
		
	
	The following projects were funded as part of the Big Tree Plant in 2010-11 before the £4 million funding scheme was established.
	
		
			 Campaign for Greener Healthcare 40,000.00 
			 Tree Council 60,000.00 
			 Keep Britain Tidy (in partnership with The Conservation Volunteers) 200,000.00 
		
	
	The London Tree and Woodland Community Grant Scheme was funded by the Forestry Commission from 2008 until 2011-12 to support the delivery of the London Tree and Woodland Framework in partnership with the Greater London Authority and Mayor's Office. In 2012-13 and beyond, funding is provided by the Greater London Authority and Mayor's office.
	
		
			 2008-09 Financial Year Grant Claims  
			 Organisation Amount awarded (£) 
			 Bexley Council 9,900.00 
			 Trees for Cities 2,000.00 
			 London Wildlife Trust 5,000.00 
			 PADI 1,500.00 
			 Better Bankside 3,725.00 
			 LB of Havering 1,600.00 
			 Groundwork East London 1,230.00 
			 Hillingdon Natural History Society 880.00 
			 British Airways PLC 5,250.00 
			 LB Kingston Upon Thames 2,500.00 
			 The Friends of Finsbury Park 5,000.00 
			 Friends of Kneller Gardens 883.00 
			 LB Hillingdon 4,200.00 
			 Hackney Marshes User Group 5,000.00 
			 Padi 900.00 
			 Trees for Cities 2,000.00 
			 Noel Park Primary School 500.00 
			 Groundwork London 3,236.00 
			 Royal Parks 4,650.00 
			 Ruislip Woods Trust 1,000.00 
			 LB Barking and Dagenham 3,300.00 
			 Sheringdale School 1,000.00 
			 St Bernadette RC School 1,000.00 
			 Trees for Cities 2,000.00 
			 Trees for Cities 2,000.00 
			 The Salvation Army Playgroup 630.00 
			 Southwark Council 5,000.00 
			 University of Westminster 2,711.00 
			 Newington Green Action Group 5,000.00 
			 Friends of King Henry Woodlands 5,000.00 
			 St Marks School 245.50 
			 LB of Bromley 5,000.00 
			 Total 93,840.50 
		
	
	
		
			 2009-10 Financial Year Grant Claims 
			 Organisation Amount awarded (£) 
			 Royal Parks 4,935.00 
			 London Wildlife Trust 5,000.00 
			 Pensford Field Environmental Trust Ltd 1,560.00 
			 London Borough of Enfield 1,457.94 
			 The Bromley by Bow Centre/T/A Green Dreams 5,000.00 
			 Trees for Cities 3,620.00 
			 Hackney Marshes Users Group 4,700.00 
			 Canons Park Residents Association 4,900.00 
			 London Borough of Bexley 6,000.00 
			 Growing Concerns Garden Centre 2,418.00 
			 Trees for Cities 2,445.00 
			 Trees for Cities 5,000.00 
			 PADI 2,000.00 
			 PADI 1,000.00 
			 Better Bankside 4,740.00 
			 Friends of Queens Wood 3,500.00 
			 Croydon Council 3,660.00 
			 Parks and Greenspaces - Bromley council 5,000.00 
			 Friends of King George's Playing Fields 1,651.00 
			 Westminster Tree Trust 5,000.00 
			 the London Orchard Project 3,604.00 
			 North Mitcham Parks Friends Group 2,568.00 
			 Trees for Cities 2,600.00 
			 Trees for Cities 1,900.00 
			 London Borough of Hackney 4,300.00 
			 Trees for Cities 3,791.00 
			 Trees for Cities 4,250.00 
			 Trees for Cities 3,500.00 
			 Trees for Cities 5,000.00 
			 London Borough of Tower Hamlets 3,000.00 
			 London Borough of Barking and Dagenham 2,967.00 
			 London Borough of Lewisham 5,000.00 
			 Lea Valley Regional Park 6,400.00 
			 Trees for Cities 2,975.95 
			 University of Westminster 1,213.00 
			 London Borough of Ealing 5,000.00 
			 St Michael's School 2,000.00 
			 Total 133,655.89 
		
	
	
		
			 2010-11 Financial Year Grant Claims  
			 Organisation Amount paid (£) 
			 Back2Earth 3,000.00 
			 Day Therapies Dept, St Anns Hospital 3,600.00 
			 Downlands Project 1,000.00 
			 Eastlea Community School 500.00 
			 Forest Recycling Project 500.00 
			 Friends of Blondin Park 3,000.00 
			 Friends of Foxley Wood 5,000.00 
			 Friends of Selsdon Wood 500.00 
			 Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park 5,000.00 
			 Garden Classroom 1,000.00 
			 Groundwork London 4,000.00 
			 Groundwork London 1,000.00 
			 Groundwork London 500.00 
			 Lee Valley Park 3,000.00 
			 London Borough of Barking & Dagenham 1,801.44 
			 London Borough of Barking & Dagenham 5,000.00 
			 London Borough of Bromley 3,486.00 
			 London Borough of Hackney 4,471.00 
			 London Borough of Havering 3,490.00 
			 London Borough of Islington 2,649.00 
			 London Borough of Richmond upon Thames 2,295.00 
			 London Orchard Project 4,695.00 
			 London Orchard Project 2,000.00 
			 London Wildlife Trust 5,000.00 
			 Oasis Children's Venture 4,498.01 
			 Organiclea 3,600.00 
			 PADI 1,500.00 
			 PADI 3,000.00 
			 PADI 1,000.00 
			 Royal Parks 1,125.00 
			 Royal Parks 812.50 
			 Transition Brockley 1,500.00 
			 Trees for Cities 5,000.00 
			 Trees for Cities 3,100.00 
			 Trees for Cities 5,000.00 
			 Trees for Cities 3,000.00 
			 Trees for Cities 2,600.00 
			 Trees for Cities 5,000.00 
			 Trees for Cities 4,200.00 
			 Trees for Cities 3,100.00 
			 Trees for Cities 2,000.00 
			 Trees for Cities 1,500.00 
			 Trinity School 1,642.67 
			 Total 119,665.62 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 Financial Year Grant Claims 
			 Organisation Amount claimed (£) 
			 Abney Park Trust 5,000.00 
			 Butterfield Green Users Group 2,411.00 
			 Friends of Foxley 5,000.00 
			 Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park 5,000.00 
			 Groundwork London (Homes for Islington) 3,291.001 
			   
			 Groundwork London (Friends of St John Vianney RC Primary School) 750.002 
			 Groundwork London (Friends of Stationers Park) 1,750.00 
			 Deferred project 2010-11: Groundwork London 5,000.00 
			 Hackney Marshes User Group 4,993.64 
			 Hummingbird Tenants' & Residents' Association 650.00 
			 Isledon village Community Project 3,000.00 
			 Kew Gardens 5,000.00 
			 London Borough of Barking and Dagenham 2,750.00 
			 London Borough of Bromley 3,177.31 
			 London Borough of Haringey 5,000.00 
			 London Borough of Havering 500.00 
			 London Borough of Newham 5,000.00 
			 London Borough of Sutton 4,000.00 
			 London Orchard Project 4,900.00 
			 London Wildlife Trust 7,600.00 
			 North West Kent Countryside Partnership 3,321.00 
			 Oasis Children's Venture 5,000.00 
			 Organiclea 3,875.00 
			 Padi 500.00 
			 St Michael's School 1,000.00 
			 The Conservation Foundation 4,488.00 
			 The Friends of Beckenham Place Park 1,482.74 
			 The Garden Classroom 4,895.00 
			 Trees for Cities 5,000.00 
			 Trees for Cities 5,000.00 
			 Trees for Cities 5,000.00 
			 Trees for Cities 5,000.00 
			 Trees for Cities 5,000.00 
			 Trees for Cities 5,000.00 
			 Trees for Cities 5,000.00 
			 Trees for Cities 2,500.00 
			 Trees for Cities 3,000.00 
			 Trees for Cities 4,250.00 
			 Vision Redbridge Culture & Leisure 1,770.00 
			 Total 145,854.69 
		
	
	Notes:
	1 £1,709 carried forward into 2012-13
	2 £750 carried forward into 2012-13
	There is no specific funding for tree planting through Natural England's core grant in aid budget. However, Natural England administers funds under the Rural Development Programme for England (for which Defra is the managing authority and accounts for the payments). Under the programme and its predecessor (the England Rural Development Programme) a number of agri-environment schemes provide funding for direct tree planting and certain aspects of management. Details could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

UK Business Overseas

Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to include in the job descriptions of senior officials in United Kingdom departments and agencies clauses regarding the promotion of United Kingdom business, in the light of the comments made by the Foreign Secretary regarding promoting United Kingdom business overseas.

Baroness Warsi: Promoting UK business overseas is an important part of the job our heads of missions overseas. Foreign and Commonwealth Office and UK Trade and Investment senior officials in the UK are also assessed against their performance in securing economic and commercial objectives.
	The Prime Minister, my right honourable friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) has also made it clear that every permanent secretary of a government department should have growth as a key objective, which in many cases will include promoting UK business overseas.

Water Management: Urban Waste Water

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the European Commission about decision C-301/10 of the European Court of Justice finding them guilty of failure to fulfil their obligations under the Urban Waster Water Directive 91/271/EEC.

Lord De Mauley: We are currently in contact with the European Commission regarding the judgment of the Court in Case C-301/10, relating to breaches of the urban waste water treatment directive 91/271/EEC in London and Whitburn.
	In relation to London, the court accepted that the Thames Tideway Tunnel represents a solution to the problem of the collecting system in London. We have therefore drawn the Commission's attention to the current and future works planned in the Tideway area, including the construction of the Lee Tunnel and the Thames Tideway Tunnel and upgrades to sewage treatment works. For Whitburn, we are exploring with the Commission what is necessary to comply with the terms of the judgment.